Bachelor of Arts
The Early Childhood Special Education with ESL/Bilingual major will prepare candidates to utilize social and emotional learning competencies to educate the whole child. Coursework is designed to focus on typical and atypical development with an emphasis on research.
Aurora University has designed its licensure programs around the concept of achieving excellence in teaching and learning through “professional education communities.” The unit has identified three major concepts at the heart of the Early Childhood Special Education ESL/Bilingual program: collaboration, curriculum, and community. The Early Childhood Special Education ESL/Bilingual program aligns with the unit’s conceptual framework by providing candidates with a well-designed program of study that includes major theorists and approaches to early childhood education. Introduced and reinforced within the program will include theorists and researchers like Vygotsky, Piaget, Bronfenbrenner, Bloom, Gardner, Erikson, Montessori, and Reggio. The unit’s philosophy mirrors the university’s commitment to inclusiveness. Teacher candidates in the Early Childhood Special Education with ESL/Bilingual program will purposefully collaborate with all others, design and implement curriculum to meet the needs of all children Birth-Gr. 2, and work to enrich the lives and learning of all children in their diverse communities. The unit’s philosophy holds that the fundamental purpose of educating the whole child, Birth-Gr. 2 is to foster and facilitate the developmental potential of all children, typical and atypical. Moreover, teacher candidates will bring to their classrooms the power to transform the lives of their early learners. This approach honors the mission of Aurora University: “An inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning.”
The Early Childhood Special Education with ESL/Bilingual major leads to a Professional Educator License (PEL). An Early Childhood Special Education with ESL/Bilingual major must satisfy requirements set forth by the state of Illinois and Aurora University in both Early Childhood Special Education with ESL/Bilingual, and General Education. It is therefore essential, all freshmen and transfer students meet often and work with an advisor from the Crouse Center for Academic Advising to ensure that all course requirements will be met, and for all candidates to understand that some courses will only be offered in the fall and some courses offered only in the spring semester.
Admission to the School of Education
Admission to Aurora University does not guarantee admission to a major in the School of Education.
Admission Criteria
To be accepted into the School of Education, teacher candidates are required to have completed a Criminal Background Check (CBC), TB Test, Statement of Understanding for Initial Licensure Requirements, School of Education Application, and have established their ELIS (Educator Licensure Information System for Illinois).
Please note that a cumulative major GPA of 3.0 is required one semester prior to student teaching (ECS-4750 Student Teaching Internship in Early Childhood Education and ECS-4760 Student Teaching Seminar.)
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required General Education and Common Courses | ||
| EDU-2300 | Technology for Teachers | 4 |
| EDU-3380 | Methods of Reading/Language Arts in Grades 3-6 | 4 |
| PSY-1100 | General Psychology | 4 |
| ESL/Bilingual Courses | ||
| EDU-2110 | Foundations of ESL and Bilingual Education 1 | 2 |
| EDU-2140 | Assessment of English Learners 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3120 | Methods and Materials for Teaching ESL 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3170 | Methods and Materials for Teaching in Bilingual Programs 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3150 | Linguistics for Teaching English Language Learners 1 | 4 |
| EDU-3510 | Cross Cultural Studies for Teaching ELLs 1 | 4 |
| Early Childhood Special Education Courses | ||
| ECS-2150 | Child Growth, Development, and Social Emotional Characteristics 1 | 4 |
| ECS-2300 | Speech and Language Development of the Young Child -- Birth to Age 8 1 | 4 |
| ECS-3150 | Curriculum and Classroom Environment: Birth to Age 8 1 | 4 |
| ECS-3200 | Observation and Assessment of the Young Child 1 | 2 |
| ECS-3350 | Methods and Practice for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers 1 | 2 |
| ECS-3420 | Methods of Teaching Early Reading and Writing 1 | 4 |
| ECS-3430 | Methods of Teaching Early Mathematical Thinking 1 | 2 |
| ECS-3440 | Methods of Teaching Early Science, Social Studies, and the Arts 1 | 2 |
| ECS-4220 | Early Childhood Practicum Field Infants/Toddlers, Preschool, and K-3 Setting 1 | 2 |
| ECS-4750 | Student Teaching Internship in Early Childhood Education | 13 |
| ECS-4760 | Student Teaching Seminar | 2 |
| Special Education Courses | ||
| SPED-2120 | Characteristics and Identification of Disabilities and the Law 1 | 4 |
| SPED-3560 | Literacy Learning for Students with Disabilities 1 | 4 |
| SPED-4620 | Collaboration Models for Inclusion 1 | 4 |
| Total Credits | 87 | |
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A 3.0 major GPA is required one semester prior to student teaching.
Areas of Endorsement/Minor
Biology, bilingual/ESL, health education, mathematics, music, Spanish, and special education.
Courses Required for Professional Educator License (PEL)
The requirements of the State of Illinois for licensure in Early Childhood Special Education with ESL/Bilingual are outcome based. The program consists of a series of courses that enable teacher candidates to meet the required outcomes. The outcomes of these courses are aligned with the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, Council on Exceptional Children, Early Learning Standards, ACEI, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children, In TASC, SEL, AU Conceptual Framework, and SOE/AU. The outcomes are met in both the major and the general education coursework.
The following courses are required for graduation:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| English | ||
| ENG-1000 | Introduction to Academic Writing | 4 |
| ENG-3185 | Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults | 4 |
| Mathematics | ||
| MTH-1210 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I | 4 |
| MTH-1220 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers II | 4 |
| NSM-2500 | Integrated Mathematics and Science for Teachers | 4 |
| Social Sciences | ||
| HIS-1200 | American History I (to 1877) | 4 |
| or HIS-1210 | American History II (since 1877) | |
| Science | ||
| BIO-1150 | Life Science for Educators | 3 |
| NSM-1400 | Earth and Space Science | 4 |
| Total Credits | 31 | |
Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Program Changes
The School of Education is continuously redesigning its programs based on current research, ISBE mandates, state law, and the university’s conceptual framework. All teacher candidates must be cognizant of the possibility that a redesign may alter requirements listed in the catalog and the program of study could be subjected to new required program changes.
Undergraduate Degree Requirements
A student who graduates from Aurora University with a baccalaureate degree will have met the following requirements:
- Completion of all requirements for an approved major (with no grades lower than “C”).
- Overall completion of at least 120 semester hours of coursework with a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (a course may be utilized only once in application toward a degree requirement, unless otherwise noted in the academic regulations). The 120 semester hours of coursework must include:
- At least 52 semester hours completed at a senior college.
- Residency Requirement - At least 30 semester hours completed at Aurora University, including the last 24 semester hours in the degree, and including at least 18 semester hours in the major. (Portfolio assessment credit, life and vocational experience credit, off-campus experience credit, examination credit, participation credit, and block credit, shall not count toward the residency requirement).
- Upper-Division Requirement - A minimum of 30 semester hours numbered 3000 or above. Of these 30 semester hours, 15 semester hours must lie within the major and 15 semester hours must be completed at Aurora University.
- Completion of all General Education requirements (with no grades lower than “C”), as follows:
- Quantitative and Formal Reasoning competency requirement
- ENG-1000 Introduction to Academic Writing
- IDS-1200 Discover What Matters or IDS-3040 Global Justice
- IDS-1150 First Year Experience - Not required for Transfer or AU Online students)
- Satisfactory participation in the junior-year mentoring and assessment process designed to guide students to successful completion of their degree and to encourage planning for next steps beyond graduation. (IDS-3500 Junior Mentoring Program I and IDS-3550 Junior Mentoring Program II - Not required for ADC or AU Online students but may be designated electives for AU Online students admitted with fewer than 15 hours of transfer credit.)
- Distribution Requirements
Students will complete one approved course1 from each of the following categories:- Artistic Literacy
- Cultural Literacy
- Human Inquiry
- Scientific Inquiry
In addition to the above, ADC and Online students will also complete one approved course1 from the following category:
- Discovery and Reflection
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Only courses that are approved to meet the distribution requirement can be used toward this requirement. See the list of approved courses for available options. Courses taken to meet distribution requirements are 4 semester hours apiece, with the following exceptions:
- An approved transfer course of at least 2.50 semester hours can be used to satisfy a distribution requirement.
- Courses with co-requisite laboratory components may be used to satisfy a distribution requirement, provided that the student successfully complete both the three-credit-hour course and the single-credit-hour lab component.
Retention Criteria
In order to enroll in student teaching, a teacher candidate must be fully admitted to the School of Education. Candidates must have a cumulative major GPA of 3.0, pass the Illinois State Board of Education Content Area Test, and have no outstanding dispositions.
Exit Criteria
Candidates must demonstrate satisfactory progress through completion of all required coursework and credit hours, including student teaching and successful completion of the edTPA, in order to be recommended for teacher licensure.
Learning Outcomes
- Candidates will demonstrate mastery of content knowledge.
- Understands the central concepts, theory and tools of inquiry in all content areas of Early Childhood Education
- Human Development and Learning: Students will understand how individuals grow, develop and learn and will provide learning opportunities that support intellectual social, emotional, and physical development of children birth to age 8.
- Candidates will demonstrate the ability to plan instruction.
- The competent early childhood candidate plans, implements varied instructional approaches and evaluates integrated, conceptually sound, meaningful learning experiences; which may include appropriate uses of technology, for children birth to age 8.
- Candidates will understand and recognize how children and families differ in their perspectives and approaches to learning and will create opportunities for collaboration, growth and learning that are developmentally and culturally appropriate and that are adapted for children birth to age 8.
- Candidates will demonstrate success in Clinical Field Placements.
- The competent early childhood candidate demonstrates an ability to work effectively, serving children of two different age groups (infant/toddler, preprimary, or primary age), with varying abilities, and in various settings.
- Candidates prepared in early childhood degree programs use their knowledge of academic disciplines to design, implement, and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and learning for each and every young child.
- Candidates will demonstrate the dispositions necessary for professional educators.
- Candidates are collaborative learners who continuously demonstrate knowledgeable, reflective and critical perspectives of their work, make informed decisions that integrate knowledge from a variety of sources, including ethical guidelines, and advocate for sound educational practices and policies.